Direct performance comparisons between different imaging systems are difficult, especially when imaging systems use complex optics and/or computational non-linear methods to reconstruct, enhance, or compress the imagery. Image quality metrics are often qualitative and subjective relying on observer scores. Non subjective image performance metrics often rely on several assumptions for computation, such as linear shift invariant, that cannot be applied to all imaging systems. These include metrics that rely on the Modulation Transfer Function of an imaging system. The ultimate imaging system performance is determined by the amount of useful information encoded in the final output image. This invention seeks to directly measure the amount of useful information using an information-based test-target allowing for direct unbiased quantitative measurements of any imaging system.